Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace
by Ceiphied Knight
Summary: A botched assassination attempt reveals a new enemy to the Slayers gang. Or perhaps an old enemy? Will actually contain ALL the characters from the series rather than just Z/A. I'll pause for your audible gasps. PLEASE READ AUTHOR'S NOTES! CHAPTER 3 UP!
1. Rise

**Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace  
****Chapter One: Rise**

_**Author's Notes: **__Much to my chagrin I have started another multi-chapter story. The idea came to me and I couldn't shake it, so here it is._

_This story takes place about 8 years after the events in Slayers TRY, but I will warn you now that future chapters will include details contained in the novels. In fact, what happened in the novels is going to be kind of a big deal. Just sayin'._

_This is also as if Revolution didn't happen, since that arc is not yet completed and I have no clue what's going to happen in Evolution-R._

_This story is named after what has become my favorite album by The Offspring. I've loved them for years, but as pathetic as this sounds, their newest album makes me think of Slayers for almost the entire thing. Except for the one song that makes me think of Code Geass. Yes, my life is a sad state of affairs._

_So please enjoy, and feel free to review! I'm actually quite proud of how this one is going, and very proud of myself for using more magic terms than I have in previous stories. For some reason, correct magic usage isn't my strong suit!_

* * *

Fuutina crouched down just outside the gates of the Seyruun royal palace. She smiled to herself.

Her master wanted the sorceress Lina Inverse and all her friends dead, but the means were completely left up to Fuutina. As such, the assassin decided to send a deadly message to Lina Inverse.

First, Fuutina would kill all her companions. She would leave Inverse for last. She knew the sorceress had married the swordsman Gourry Gabriev several years prior, so she would kill him in front of Inverse, making her suffer more. Then the final blow, taking Inverse's life.

The plan was solid, although the assassin knew she had her work cut out for her. None of her targets were weaklings by any stretch of the imagination, but Fuutina hadn't had a good challenge in years. She was looking forward to it.

She had decided to start with Seyruun. That way, she could kill three birds with one stone.

At least, that's what she had hoped. Her first target had been the priestess Sylphiel Nels Lahda. Unfortunately, after stopping by the home Sylphiel had inherited from her late uncle, she found the woman was out of town.

Frustrated, Fuutina had decided to continue with her plan, since she was already in Seyruun.

It would not be easy to get to the crown princess and her husband. That much was certain. But Fuutina knew that as long as she could get into the royal bedchamber it would be easy going from there. She would kill them in their sleep and leave their bloodied remains for the servants to find. Inverse would be notified immediately that two of her best friends had been assassinated.

Fuutina crept along the gate, keeping her lithe body pressed flat against it. It was not a bright night, which worked in her favor.

Removing a small stone from her pocket, she tossed it in the opposite direction of the guards' current position. Both palace guards turned their heads at the sound the stone made as it crashed into a pile of leaves. In that brief second, the assassin crept past them and into the palace garden.

Too easy.

She broke into a run, her head down but her eyes up. She took in everything around her, and was soon underneath the balcony of what she knew to be the princess' bedchamber.

Now, to get inside.

Fuutina removed two items from the pack she always wore at her hip. They were suction devices she had once paid too much for, but they had proven to be invaluable in her work.

Slipping them over her hands, she began to climb the smooth stone walls. She had trained long and hard to acquire the upper body strength required for such a feat, and all her hard work had paid off.

The task still left her winded as she finally reached the balcony and climbed over the railing.

Two large double doors now stood between her and her targets. She could see red curtains covering them from the inside.

Fuutina allowed herself a self-satisfied smile. Killing these two would make her famous, but killing Lina Inverse would make her infamous.

The princess was a talented sorceress in her own right. Fuutina knew that, of course. She was capable of all forms of magic, though her biggest spell was the Shamanistic "Ra Tilt" which was best used against Mazoku.

Fuutina was somewhat concerned, but it hardly registered.

The prince consort was the one Fuutina was most concerned about. Years ago, Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun had married her long time traveling companion, a man descendent from the famous Red Priest, Rezo. Zelgadis Greywords was not only a powerful sorcerer, but also a chimera created from human, demon, and rock golem. Fuutina's main concern was that she wouldn't be able to pierce his skin using her normal methods. With his amount of power, she couldn't afford to give him a chance to wake up and find her there.

Reaching down to her thigh, she removed a dagger from its holster. She would take out Greywords first, using the poisoned blade. She'd just have to cut him hard enough for the poison to touch his bloodstream. While a single blow from her would never kill him, the fast acting poison would. She smiled at the memory of her master showing her this method for killing.

She hoped the chimera's wife was a deep sleeper.

* * *

Zelgadis twitched an ear, but otherwise did not move. His sensitive hearing alerted him to someone outside the balcony doors. No normal human would have been able to hear the soft click of the lock, but of course Zelgadis was not a normal human.

Amelia lay curled up next to him, her face in his chest. It was a warm night so he wore only pajama pants, and Amelia wasn't wearing anything under the covers. His right arm was slung over her, and he lamented about this being a bad night for an assassination attempt. Hopefully, he would be able to take care of it and Amelia wouldn't have to get out of bed.

He felt his wife's body stiffen as soon as the assassin entered their room. Without saying a word, he knew she was prepared. She must have sensed the presence. Her sixth sense was top notch from her priestess training.

This assassin must have underestimated them.

* * *

Fuutina paused by the balcony doors.

They were awake.

She sensed it with every fiber of her being. Damn them, damn magic users. She had slightly underestimated them.

It would not happen again.

Quickly rethinking her plan of attack, she pressed herself flush against the wall and stood in the shadows, watching them. They were just pretending to be asleep. Obviously, they planned to make their move as soon as she drew nearer to the bed.

Her mouth curled up in a snarl. They wouldn't get the best of her.

Dagger at the ready, she broke into a run and then dropped to the floor, effectively sliding under the bed and coming out on the side belonging to the prince consort.

Zelgadis definitely hadn't seen that coming.

Thanks to his inhuman speed, Zel was able to grab the assassin's wrist as a long gleaming blade was stopped just inches from his chest.

Amelia let out an audible gasp but then sprang into action. She leapt from bed, not caring about modesty, and shouted, "ELMEKIA LANCE!"

The assassin wrenched her hand away from Zelgadis just in time to dodge the spell.

Fuutina was fuming.

The chimera had also hopped out of bed and flung a sheet at his wife, which she quickly wrapped around herself like a toga. They stood back-to-back with their hands raised in preparation to cast a world of hurt upon the assassin.

But then the stranger in their room did something they weren't expecting.

She laughed.

It was an almost ecstatic laugh, like she'd won some amazing prize. Her head was thrown back and her entire body shook.

The tall, thin woman was dressed all in black. She had several pouches and pockets all over her tight garb, and was covered by clothing everywhere except for her eyes and hair. Her hair was pink and cut into a short but feminine bob. She was obviously very skilled, but perhaps a bit cocky.

Zelgadis was sizing her up, and his gaze stopped at the dagger in her hand.

The blade was serrated and the handle looked to be made of ivory. He had never seen a weapon like it before. However, he was confused. Surely the assassin hadn't thought she could kill him with just that?

"Zel," Amelia said quietly, using the nickname she had only grown comfortable with after they were married. "I think that dagger has a poisoned tip. Don't let it touch you."

She knew him well. It would be just like him to allow the assassin a cheap shot just so he could get at her. He would think the dagger couldn't pierce his stone skin, but Amelia could almost see the poison coating it. Identifying enchanted objects and other dangers was another tool she had picked up from her days training as a priestess.

"Ah," her husband acknowledged her. "That explains it."

Finally, the woman stopped laughing and faced them.

"I'm sorry," she said, sincerely. Her voice was not what they had expected. It was also very feminine, and she sounded quite young.

"It's just not every day I face opponents as powerful as you two. I'm very happy that things are going well."

"How are they going well?!" Zelgadis demanded. "This is two against one in our favor!"

She grinned under her mask. "Just because you outnumber me doesn't mean this fight is in your favor."

Zelgadis seethed. She was beginning to damage his calm.

Ignoring the chimera about to let loose on her, Fuutina continued.

"Since you're both awake, I might as well introduce myself. It's only polite, seeing as how I'm about to kill you."

She gave an exaggerated bow.

"My name is Fuutina, and unfortunately for you my master has set her sights on you and all your friends. I don't know what you did to her, but it's really a shame. You should feel bad about it."

"I don't suppose you're going to tell us who your master is," Amelia said. It was not even a question.

Fuutina shook her head.

"What do you mean by us and 'all our friends'?" Zelgadis asked with a growl.

"Just what you think I mean," Fuutina said in a patronizing tone. "I'm going to kill you, then I'm going to find your friend Sylphiel and kill her, then I will make my way over to Xoana and kill the royal couple there, then I'm going to go to the outer lands and kill the golden dragon Filia Ul Copt and possibly the ancient dragon child she cares for if he gives me a hard time…"

She calmly ticked off the deaths of them and all their friends, using the fingers on her right hand. Once she had used up her pinky on Gourry, she moved to the thumb on her left hand and said, "Finally, I'm going to kill Lina Inverse."

"HA!" Amelia shouted, pointing her right index finger at Fuutina and going into Justice Mode.

"None of us will be so easily killed by you! Except maybe Martina! But probably not even her! But DEFINITELY not Lina Inverse!"

Fuutina just blinked at the princess.

"I never thought it was going to be easy," she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

She was so caught up in talking to Amelia that Zel saw his chance.

"BOMB DI WIND!" He yelled, and Fuutina was forcefully blown against the back wall of their large bedchamber.

The wind was most certainly knocked out of her after she hit, and it was long enough for Amelia to grab a letter opener from the dresser and yell, "SHADOW SNAP!" while throwing it at the assassin.

The letter opener hit home and cemented Fuutina's shadow in place, therefore keeping her against the wall.

Fuutina had them right where she wanted them.

Zelgadis grabbed his sword and strode towards her.

Fuutina was not a magic user. Not really. But someone with as much power as her certainly knew at least one spell. The one spell that people even knew in the outer lands.

As Zelgadis came within blade's reach of her and took up a killing stance, Fuutina uttered one word.

"Lighting."

Suddenly, the Shadow Snap was broken and she was upon the chimera, with her blade at his throat.

"NO!" Amelia screamed, lowering her hands from forming any new spells.

"I've changed my mind about how I'm going to do this," the assassin said, addressing Amelia. After all the commotion, she knew the palace guards must be on their way.

"I'm going to take Rock Boy here as leverage. When you and your friends come for him, which I know you will, I'll simply kill you all on my own terms."

"Now," she said right into Zel's ear, "Please come with me."

"No," he said, quietly. "You can just go ahead and kill me now, because I refuse to be your bait."

"Zelgadis, no!" Amelia all but screamed. She was watching the blade of Fuutina's dagger with horror. It was way too close to her husband's throat for comfort.

"Amelia…" he began, but she cut him off.

"I don't want to hear it. Please, just go with her. I'll figure something out."

She could tell he was about to argue, so she said again, "Please. Trust in me."

He closed his mouth and allowed himself to be led through the balcony doors, the same way the assassin had entered.

"Good choice," Fuutina said so only he could hear. "Your wife is a smart lady."

Amelia stood rooted to the spot, and suddenly the assassin and her husband were gone.

As the palace guards practically broke down the door to her room, followed closely by her father, one of the guards barely had time to catch the princess as she collapsed.


	2. Fall

**Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace**

**Chapter 2: Fall**

_AN: Slayers is not mine, blah blah blah. Only two more chapters to go!_

_

* * *

  
_

Amelia lay in bed, glaring at the wall. The healer who had been sent to sit with her fidgeted uncomfortably in her chair.

After being released to her room by the royal family's doctor and told to stay put, King Phil had seen to it that someone sat with his daughter at all times. This was because her father knew her well, and understood that the moment she got a chance she would be gone from the castle and out to find her husband.

Obviously, the King would rather not have his daughter and future Queen of Seyruun running around the country hunting for dangerous assassins.

Amelia flopped back angrily on her pillows. She looked over to where her husband usually slept beside her and fought back tears.

She hated feeling so helpless. Instead of turning to despair, though, she decided to turn to anger. Anger at that assassin and her master for coming after them for no good reason (that she was aware of.) Anger at her father for keeping her locked in her room like a prisoner. Anger at Zelgadis for being careless. Anger at herself for blaming him at all.

The emptiness she felt without him next to her was almost tangible. They began quietly courting after the battle against Valgarv and Darkstar, but never really put a label on it. After Zelgadis finally came back, hopeless and heartbroken from not having found a cure, Amelia had wrapped her arms around him and finally convinced him that no one had ever cared about that stupid cure except him.

Since then, they hadn't been apart for more than a few days. Amelia allowed herself a small smile at the memory of telling Lina and Gourry.

Lina had given Amelia a sly smile and nodded. She then grabbed Zel in a headlock and told him it 'took him long enough.'

She then announced that she and Gourry had gotten bored one day and decided to get married at a small church in some town they had already forgotten the name of.

Zel had shaken hands happily with Gourry and then bonked Lina on the head for not sending them a letter or something. Amelia actually got a little angry at them for eloping. She had badly wanted to be Lina's Maid of Honor someday!

And so it went, with Lina and Gourry acting like being married was no big deal at all, and Zelgadis acting like getting married was going to make him the main attraction of some freak show.

Amelia's smile grew wider. To be fair, he wasn't too far off the mark on that one.

That had been five years ago.

She took one last look at the cold, empty sheets next to her and steeled herself.

She would find him and bring him home, and she would make sure no harm came to any of her friends.

Even if she had to do it alone.

* * *

King Philionel of Seyruun paced back and forth in front of the imperial court.

The kidnapping of a member of the royal family was certainly not to be taken lightly, but Phil found he was at his wit's end regarding what to do about it. Hell, he would have made his son-in-law Captain of the Guard if it had been appropriate to do so. There was no one he trusted more to protect his daughter and their entire kingdom.

But now he was gone, just like that. Someone skilled enough to make off with Zelgadis Greywords was not someone Phil knew how to deal with.

One of the oldest members of the council, a man who only kept his seat because his father had been a mentor to Phil's father, stood up and announced, "Perhaps this is for the best!"

Everyone in the room grew silent, including Phil. He gave the man a look that told him he was walking a thin line, but still the old man continued.

"After all, it's been five years since they were wed and they have not been able to produce an heir. Princess Amelia is to become Queen within the next few years, so perhaps we should move on from this tragedy so that the Princess may find another suitor and then progress to the throne."

Everyone in the room stared at the man.

Finally, Phil spoke. His voice was low and chilling.

"You mean to tell me that marrying her off to some other man just so they might quickly produce an heir matters more to you than bringing my son-in-law home alive?"

The man stumbled over his words slightly while answering, but otherwise seemed confident, "W-well, your majesty, I was just thinking that perhaps due to the young man's…uh…condition…it might be best for the Princess to…"

"…To forget about the man I love and leave him to die while I marry someone I barely know and start popping out babies?"

Everyone in the council room turned their heads to look at the door, where there stood a very angry princess.

She was dressed in her traveling clothes, though different from those she wore back in her days with Lina. Her leggings were tight and dark burgundy, while the trim all around her tunic and armor was dark purple. The magical gems set in her outfit were a very dark blue, nearly black, and her boots were black. She also had a bag slung over her shoulder.

She did not move, but stood glaring daggers at the old man who had dared insult her.

"P-Princess…I'm just looking out for the best interests of this kingdom! You have always gotten everything you wanted, all your selfish desires! If not for your father's support of him, this council never would have allowed you to marry that man in the first place!"

Everyone in the room held their breath.

Calmly, Amelia turned to her father and said, "Daddy, please remove this man from the council before I set him on fire."

"BE GONE!" Phil bellowed at the man, who promptly fell back in his seat as if blown back by the power of the large man's voice.

A handful of palace guards lifted the old man from his chair and forcibly removed him from the premises.

"Would anyone else like to say anything about my husband?" Amelia demanded.

No one spoke. They didn't even blink.

"Amelia," her father said, turning towards her, "Why are you dressed like that? Surely you…?"

"I'm going." She stated without preamble. "I've conquered worse situations than this, and I won't trust his safety to anyone else."

"Have you called Lina?" Phil asked her. "Surely she would come with you…"

"She would." Amelia interrupted. "She and Gourry would be here in an instant. But that's exactly why they can't know. I have to protect them, as well."

Phil knew the story. After Amelia had regained consciousness she had repeated back everything said by the assassin.

"My daughter…your heart is overflowing with love and justice! Well, if you're going to go, I can't really stop you. You're an adult. Though, technically, as King I could have you confined to your room…"

"Daddy…" Amelia warned.

"…But I could never do that to you."

Tears in her eyes, Amelia flung herself into her father's arms.

Without saying any more, she turned and left the council chamber.

****************************************

"…So you see, Lina-dono, that is why I called."

King Phil stared into the mirror, which had been magically enhanced with a Vision spell. When activated by one of the palace sorcerers, it allowed people to see each other and speak in real time.

Lina looked back at him from a mirror in her home in Zephilia. Gourry sat on a bed in the background. He looked concerned.

Lina's expression was one of determination. "We'll catch up with her, Phil. We'll also rescue Zel."

Phil began wringing his hands, looking more worried than Lina had ever seen him.

"Thank you very much, Lina. But…when you find her, please don't tell her I sent you. She was adamant about you two not being involved."

"Why's that?"

Phil looked up, somewhat guilty. "To protect you. She's afraid you may be injured if you battle the assassin who took Zelgadis."

Lina gave a grim little smile.

"Not likely."

*******************************************************

Amelia trudged along the muddy roads between Seyruun and Xoana. Since Fuutina had mentioned going after Martina and Zangulus, she assumed that would be the place to start looking.

Unfortunately, she couldn't use a Ray Wing to get herself most of the distance. She allowed herself a sad little smile. If only that old bastard from the council knew the truth.

She patted her still flat stomach. She had only learned of her pregnancy the day before, and was planning to tell Zelgadis that all the spells and runes and potions they'd tried had finally paid off. But she wanted to wait until the perfect time, and had thought her father's upcoming birthday celebration would be a wonderful opportunity.

But now she would most likely be missing that party. She had no idea how long she would be away, and no idea when she would be able to use magic again. She had noticed that her spells were a bit weaker the night before when they had fought against Fuutina; but only now, about three weeks since conception, she seemed to have fully lost her powers.

She knew it was wrong to endanger her unborn child. Zelgadis never would have allowed it. Her father would have probably had no problem with locking her in the dungeon if he had known.

But despite the fact she knew the odds were against her and the situation was grim, she simply could not and would not abandon her husband. She loved him far too much, and knew he would die trying to rescue her if the situation were reversed.

***********************************************************

Amelia arrived in Xoana at dawn. She was ushered into the castle and greeted by a very exuberant Martina and a very subdued Zangulus.

After explaining the situation, Martina looked horrified.

"So this assassin said she's coming HERE?!" Martina squealed. She then dropped to her knees and pulled a small sculpture of Zoamelgustar from somewhere on her person (Amelia dared not guess where) and began chanting something to it under her breath.

Her husband strolled over to his wife and pulled her to her feet, then addressed Amelia.

"I should come with you," he said. "There's no reason for you to go alone, with no protection."

"That's right!" Martina exclaimed, thrusting a finger into the air. "Safety in numbers! We'll help you search for Zelgadis and kill this horrible assassin! Lord Zoamelgustar will never forgive her!"

Amelia felt her eye twitching. "Martina…Zangulus-san…that really isn't necessary. The whole point in me coming here was to make sure you're both safe and see if Fuutina is anywhere in town with Zelgadis."

"It doesn't matter WHY you came!" Martina continued. "The point is, we refuse to let you continue on your own! Right, Zangulus?"

The swordsman nodded his approval.

Amelia sighed.

***********************************************************

Lina and Gourry arrived in Seyruun at noon. As they ran up the palace steps at full speed, they nearly trampled a very confused-looking Sylphiel.

"SYLPHIEL!" Lina yelled, grabbing the priestess by her arm and pulling her with them, "Come with us, we might need your help!"

As usual, Sylphiel just did what Lina said. Things were less painful that way.

After a briefing with Phil where they were given ever detail of the assassin's visit to the palace, Sylphiel decided that she did indeed want to help. Amelia had always been very kind to her, and was a fellow white magic priestess. Not to mention, there was something romantic about trying to reunite two separated lovers. Sylphiel heaved a sigh as her eyes went a bit starry.

"Uh, Sylphiel?" Lina waved a hand rudely in front of the priestess' face. "Stop going bye-bye and listen up."

Sylphiel, Gourry, and Phil all turned to listen to Lina.

"This assassin gave away very few clues, but what we know is that her master is a woman, and is obviously someone we had dealings with in the past. We also know that she was going to try to find Sylphiel and then head to Xoana."

"Since Sylphiel just got home from her trip and is sitting right here, we can only assume that this Fuutina person doubled back to Xoana already. Amelia would know that too. So that's where we need to head."

Phil nodded, and the three of them were off to find a princess.

***********************************************************

In a well-hidden cavern underneath Xoana, one that had existed since before the town had first been constructed, Fuutina approached her captive. Her eyes were full of contempt and something else that Zelgadis couldn't quite put his finger on.

That was the part that scared him.

He was sitting on the cold floor with his bare feet shackled together and his hands tied behind his back. His arm restraints were fastened to a heavy iron grate in the wall behind him.

The dangerous woman stopped just in front of him and crouched down to be at face level with him, then lowered her mask.

Zelgadis chided himself for thinking she was actually quite lovely. The only thing marring her milky white skin was a long scar across her left cheek.

It was a shame he would have to kill her.

As her face came closer to his, so close that he could feel her warm breath, her knees came to rest between his legs and she put her hands on his bare shoulders.

Zelgadis fought back the blush that risked coloring his face.

"What are you doing!?" He demanded, angrily.

"You're such a disappointment," Fuutina said with both a hint of sadness and deep, throaty seduction. "You were once a dark, mysterious, mystical swordsman. Now you're reduced to a rare oddity, to be enjoyed only by the princess of the white magic capitol."

Her face came even closer.

"Tell me, Zelgadis, is that really what you want? To be used like that? To have to endure speeches about love and justice made by some simpering woman-child princess?"

"HOW DARE YOU!" Zelgadis screamed with rage and attempted to bite the face of his captor, since that's all he could really do.

Fuutina jumped back, looking at him with amusement.

"I love my wife," Zelgadis seethed. "I'm sure that's hard for someone like you to understand, but I changed a long time ago. I brought a bit of darkness to her world while she showed me the light. Amelia is like no one else I've ever met, and soon I plan to kill you and get back to her."

"Pity," Fuutina said, shaking her head. "My master wants you broken, but I can tell your loyalty to Seyruun will be a problem."

Zelgadis gave the assassin a dark grin. "I don't plan to be broken, and I'm loyal to my wife until the day I die."

Fuutina huffed and pulled her mask back up over the bottom of her face.

"Keep this up," she said, "and that day will come sooner than you think."


	3. Rage

**RISE AND FALL, RAGE AND GRACE**

_Chapter 3: Rage_

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* * *

_

_Author's Note: _ Hi, everyone! After a little more than two years, I'm back with a new chapter of this story! Sorry about the long wait! I hope it ends up being worth your time. As I said waaaaaaay back at the beginning in 2008, the events of the novels are important to this story, and not so much Revolution/Evolution-R because the new season wasn't even done airing then! That said, you will finally learn why.

One more chapter to go! I promise it won't take another two years.

* * *

"_The memories fade  
Like looking through a fogged mirror  
Decision to decisions are made  
And not bought,  
But I thought this wouldn't hurt a lot.  
I guess not..."_

-Kids, MGMT

* * *

Lina, Gourry and Sylphiel made it to Xoana in record time.

"Why'd you let her our of your sight?" Lina screamed at Martina while Gourry and Sylphiel attempted to reign her in.

"I didn't mean to, but she was really determined!" Martina screamed back while blocking Lina's tantrum with a small bust of Zoamelgustar.

Zangulus sighed and stepped in between the two women.

"Princess Amelia is strong and she didn't want us to go with her. She must have slipped out during the night."

Lina finally stopped flailing and considered the swordsman's words.

"She couldn't have gone too far, then," Lina finally stated. "We should all," she said with a pointed glance at the King and Queen of Xoana, "Do our best to find her _and _Zelgadis as soon as possible."

Sylphiel fidgeted uncomfortably nearby, but approached the other four with a new found determination.

"Excuse me," she said. "I think there's something you all should know."

Lina, Gourry, Martina and Zangulus all turned to stare at the priestess. Sylphiel lost a bit of her nerve and looked down at the floor. It had a lovely red and black checkered pattern.

"You see," Sylphiel began, unsure of how to approach the subject, "Amelia-san really isn't as strong right now as you all seem to think."

"...And why is that?" Lina asked, not liking where this was going.

"Because she wouldn't have full use of her magic at the moment, if at all. Because just the other day, I confirmed her pregnancy for her."

Sylphiel finished and looked back up at the group.

Everyone was staring at her wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

"Huh," Lina said, calmly. "You mean Zel finally made a goal?"

Sylphiel blushed at that. Lina wasn't known for being particularly tactful.

"Yes, I suppose you could put it that way," Sylphiel finally answered. "They've been trying for so long, and right now she's in the early stages where a lot of her power will be going toward the development of the fetus. I would be surprised if she could do more than a simple light spell right now."

Sylphiel paused for a moment, but looked as if she had more to say.

Finally, she quietly added, "I doubt if she's even had a chance to tell Zelgadis-san."

* * *

Zelgadis fought against the chains that bound him, but even for all the strength he possessed as a chimera, he couldn't break away.

Cursing, he could only assume that the bonds were enchanted. Fuutina couldn't have placed such a powerful spell on the objects, so it must have been her mysterious master.

As the saying, "speak of the devil" implies, Fuutina chose that moment to enter the dank room.

"How are you feeling today, Zelgadis?" the assassin asked, feigning concern.

She pulled down her mask and smirked at the royal.

Zelgadis glowered at her, but she ignored him and continued.

"Perhaps you feel like cooperating with us now? Maybe, if you help us kill Lina Inverse and your other friends, we'll let you and your precious wife live."

"Right," Zelgadis spat. "There's about as much chance of you letting me and Amelia live as there is of me spontaneously becoming human again."

"Ah, so glad you brought that up!" Fuutina grinned, clapping her hands together and pacing closer to the prone chimera.

"You see, my boss may have an idea about that very thing. Turning you human, I mean."

Zelgadis froze. He knew it was a trick. He knew they would try to use whatever they could against him. Amelia and his humanity were the two big ones, after all.

And yet...

Fuutina crouched down and cupped his face between her palms.

"Though why you'd want to be a mere human, I can't even fathom. Still, my mistress knows a great many things and is quite powerful."

Zelgadis said nothing. His eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched, sending a very clear message to the assassin.

With a sigh, Fuutina stood and pulled her mask back up.

"Think it over, will you? But don't take too long."

Then she left him alone again.

* * *

Panting, Amelia paused and took another long swig of water from her canteen.

She'd been walking for half a day, but she felt as if she'd been on her feet for a week. She knew she was endangering the baby, but Zelgadis needed her. They all did.

Still, she was exhausted. Physically and emotionally. Even if she found him, how much good would she be against his kidnappers?

"AMELIA!"

The princess' head jerked up at the sound of her name.

Spinning around, she saw a sight that terrified her as much as it filled her with relief.

Lina, Gourry, Sylphiel, Martina and Zangulus were all running toward her. All were smiling in relief except for Lina, who wore a small frown.

Amelia felt herself frowning in response. In an instant, she knew what had happened. Her father had called Lina, and Sylphiel had told her about the baby. So now Lina was angry with her.

In a way, Amelia felt like she deserved it. She let out a sigh and resigned herself to her fate.

"Thank goodness we found you, Amelia-san!" Sylphiel said, coming to a stop in front of the princess. "How are you feeling? Do you need a healing spell?"

"No, thank you, Sylphiel-san," Amelia answered with a tight smile on her lips.

"You might need that healing spell when I get done with you!" Lina hissed, slapping Amelia upside the head (rather gently) with a slipper.

"Lina-san!" Amelia whined, holding her hands above her head in defense. "I was doing it for your own good! You're walking right into a trap, you know!"

"Of course I know! Since when has that ever stopped me before?" Lina snapped.

Amelia had no answer for that. It's not as if anything had ever stopped Lina from doing exactly what she wanted to do.

"Now," Lina continued, in a more hushed tone. "Do you have any idea where this crazy broad might have taken Zel?"

Amelia nodded. "There are underground caverns all across the city. They've existed since before Xoana was built here. I have a suspicion she's hiding out somewhere nearby, biding her time. She'd want to stay close so she could draw us all out."

Lina nodded. "We'll need to cover a lot of ground, then. We'll split up. Amelia, you're coming with me. Gourry, go with Sylphiel. Zangulus, PLEASE try to keep your wife out of trouble."

At everyone's agreement and Martina's offended snort, they were on their way.

* * *

Lina Inverse was coming.

She felt it.

With every fiber of her being, she felt the sorceress' presence.

Revenge was at hand. Lina Inverse and her idiot swordsman would finally pay for what they'd done.

* * *

Zelgadis hadn't realized he'd dozed off until he heard hurried footsteps rushing toward him.

"Zel!" exclaimed a familiar male voice.

"Gourry?" the chimera mumbled, afraid he was imaging things.

"Hang on, we'll get you out of here!" Gourry was just a blur of blonde hair and steel as he tried cutting away Zel's bonds. The chimera was trying to focus.

"That won't work," he mumbled to his friend. "They're enchanted."

"Well, then," came a quiet female voice that was definitely not Lina. "Flow Break!"

The chains fell from Zelgadis' wrists just seconds after Sylphiel's spell was cast.

After rubbing some circulation back into his hands, the chimera was helped to his feet by his taller friend.

"Thank you," he said, nodding to both of them.

"Now let's get out of here and find Lina and the others!" Gourry said as they all turned toward the exit.

As they ran from the interior vault where Zelgadis had been held, the chimera asked his friends, "Is Amelia all right? Is she with you?"

Before either could answer him, however, they were stopped in their tracks mere feet from the cavern's main exit.

Their way out was being blocked by a tall, lithe female figure. But Zelgadis could tell it was not Fuutina's figure.

"You're not going anywhere, Gourry Gabriev," said the woman, not stepping out from the shadows of the doorway.

Gourry cocked his head, listening intently, but said nothing in response.

Luckily for him, Zelgadis was just angry enough to do all the talking.

"And just who the hell are you?" the chimera barked at the figure. "Are you the one pulling the strings?"

The mysterious woman chuckled. "You could say that."

Sylphiel noticed Gourry narrowing his eyes. The priestess looked quizzically at the swordsman but had no opportunity to voice her assumption that he recognized the woman's voice.

Zelgadis snorted and continued in a clipped tone, "You should get out of our way before we make you regret you ever played this little game. You're outnumbered and I, for one, am incredibly pissed off."

The woman gave a short laugh and slowly stepped out of the doorway, into the flickering candle light of the cavern.

Gourry gasped.

* * *

"Where the hell are they, I said we should all meet up at sunset!" Lina groused as Amelia, Martina and Zangulus gathered around her.

In the orange light of the dimming sun, Lina was obviously trying to mask her worry.

"Maybe we should go looking for them," Amelia suggested, her pulse pounding in her throat. If something had happened to Gourry and Sylphiel, she was becoming less sure of her husband's continued survival.

Lina whirled on the princess and snapped, "WE are not going anywhere. You've already put yourself through enough for one day. You may not care about your health or your baby, but I do!"

Amelia bit her lip at the harsh statement, but said nothing.

Lina continued, "Martina, stay here with Amelia. Zangulus, come with me. We're going in after them."

Zangulus nodded, and began following Lina to the cavern entrances North of their location.

* * *

"Gourry, do you know her?" Zelgadis asked, concerned at his friend's reaction.

"Yes, I definitely remember her! Well...I remember her face. Not so much her name or anything."

The woman rolled her eyes.

"I remember her eyes the most," Gourry continued. "Big green eyes. And she never smiled much."

"I'll be smiling a lot more when you and your friends are dead," snapped the mysterious woman.

"But..._you_ should be dead," Gourry answered, frowning.

Sylphiel gasped. Zelgadis looked back and forth between Gourry and their enemy.

She was tall, taller than any of the other girls in their party. She had long silver hair, which hung past her waist. And she did, indeed, have green eyes.

Other than that, though, she seemed...ordinary. Zelgadis cocked his head, trying to sense anything unique about the woman. Amelia had taught him a few tricks, including being able to pick up the presence of evil spirits (including Mazoku) and other unusual powers.

There was something strange. There was an aura around the woman...almost like a dark presence rolling off of her. Zelgadis narrowed his eyes and concentrated harder.

Yes, there was definitely something there. And it wasn't human.

"Gourry, back off," the chimera whispered to his friend.

Gourry shut his mouth and took one very visible step back away from the woman.

But it was then that they heard another familiar female voice echoing through the cavern.

"GOURRY! SYLPHIEL! ZEL! ARE YOU IN HERE?"

Line had come looking for them.

And the woman did smile. But it was a smile devoid of humor.

Sylphiel shuddered.

* * *

"Stop pacing!" Martina snapped at Amelia.

The princess ignored her and continued with her restless movement.

"I wish I knew what was happening!" Amelia lamented for the dozenth time.

"That's not your job right now," Martina explained again. "You're supposed to stay here and be safe. Zelgadis wouldn't want you getting hurt, now would he?"

Amelia stopped pacing, and looked at Martina with wet eyes.

"No, he wouldn't. But Martina-san, what if I never see him again? He doesn't even know about the baby!" Amelia subconsciously wrapped her arms around her torso.

"You'll see him again," Martina spoke quietly to her friend. "You've been through worse scrapes than this, right?"

Amelia looked forlornly at the ground and nodded.

Just as Martina opened her mouth to offer some more wise words of advice, there was an explosion from the North.

Both women whipped their heads around and watched the plumes of acrid smoke rise into the sky.

Amelia screamed.

* * *

"How is this possible?" Lina screamed out the rhetorical question, and of course received no answer.

"Lina-san, I sense a great evil!" Sylphiel informed her friend. Lina rolled her eyes as if to say, "no shit."

"She's right, Lina," Zelgadis crawled over to their hiding position behind a large boulder. "More than the obvious evil intentions, even I could sense the evil pouring off of...whoever that is."

Sylphiel nodded. "That's what I mean," she continued. "If I were to make an educated guess, I would say there is a Deep Seed inside that woman."

"What the hell does that mean, exactly?" Zangulus asked as he and Gourry made their way over.

"It means," Lina began to elaborate on Sylphiel's behalf as their enemy stood in the middle of the cavern, cackling. "She has been overcome by a Deep Seed of Anger. Also simply called a Seed of Evil, it's a spirit that somehow took control of her, perhaps when she was in a weakened state. Like, for instance, right before the moment of death."

"Lina...we saw her die, didn't we?" Gourry whispered.

Lina nodded. "It must have happened then. We never did go back for her body. I mean, we were obviously distracted with Luke and everything. But if the woman we knew is still in there somewhere...the calm, pragmatic woman she was...we should be able to stop her."

With that, Lina stood up from behind their hiding place. Clouds of smoke and dust particles still floated in the air from the offensive spells that had been flung around the cavern, but they had cleared enough that deep red eyes met bright green.

"Mileena," Lina began, "You don't want to do this. This isn't you."

The woman, Mileena, laughed harder.

"And how would you know?" she asked, sarcastically. "You barely know me! Do you even know my last name?"

Lina was silent for a moment before quietly answering, "No. I don't. And, believe me, I regret it deeply. I've shed my tears for you, and for Luke. So please stop this. What happened to you both was a tragedy, but it wasn't the fault of anyone in this room."

Mileena narrowed her eyes at that and said, "Oh, really? You do realize that if we had never met you and your idiot _protector, _none of this would have ever happened! Luke would still be alive, and I would be...normal."

"Ah," Lina said. "So you do realize you're different."

Mileena clenched her jaw and practically snarled, "I'm only different because life's circumstances have made me this way!"

"Uh huh," said the red-head, "And I'm sure the spirit keeping you alive has NOTHING to do with it, right?"

"SHUT UP!" Mileena screeched and shot a fireball in Lina's direction.

Lina dodged the spell, and motioned for Gourry to stay put as he rose to join her.

"You know," Lina continued, "Luke may have lived if not for Gourry and me, but his days were numbered even before you met him. He housed a shard of Shabranigdu, Mileena! He would have succumbed eventually! Or been driven mad first," the last was said with a pointed look at Zel.

As Mileena opened her mouth to respond, looking a bit off-guard, there came a sound that no one else wanted to hear right at that moment.

"Lina-san! Gourry-san! Sylphiel-san!" Amelia's voice rang through the cavern.

"ZANGGGGGYY!" Martina's voice followed.

Mileena turned toward the cavern opening just as the two women entered.

"Amelia!" Zelgadis screamed, jumping up from behind the boulder and making a run for her. "Get out of here!"

"Zelgadis!" Amelia screamed, ignoring his words and running toward him. He was alive, and that was all she cared about!

But just before the two separated lovers reached each other, Amelia felt a flash of pain in her arm.

"Oh," she said when she saw the knife hilt sticking out of her left shoulder.

Distracted, the princess tripped over a stone, and toppled forward just as Zelgadis reached her. He caught her limp form in his arms and hugged her to his chest.

"Amelia!" he screamed, but there was no response from his wife.

"Amelia-san!" Sylphiel yelled, and rose to assist her friend. But then a voice rang out from the darkness, making her stop in her tracks.

"I wouldn't do that, priestess."

Fuutina stepped out from the shadows, holding another throwing knife. "I believe my mistress would like you all to stay put. My knives are all coated in a fast acting poison, so unless you want to experience the excruciating effects, you should probably do as I say."

"Poison," Zelgadis breathed, swiping Amelia's bangs away from her forehead. She was already sweating and breathing heavily.

"No," the chimera whispered, his voice barely audible.

"Please," Sylphiel found herself begging the assassin, "just let me save her. We'll do whatever you want, but _please _let me heal her! She's pregnant!"

Zelgadis' head jerked to the priestess, his mouth agape.

"She's...pregnant?" He repeated, dumbfounded.

"Yes, Zelgadis-san," Sylphiel said, her voice cracking with emotion. "I'm so sorry you had to find out this way."

Mileena laughed and exclaimed, "Excellent work, Tina. Two for the price of one!"

And then Zelgadis was on his feet, howling in rage. He had his sword drawn and had cast Astral Vine before anyone had even seen him move.

"Zel, stop!" Lina tried to get through to her friend, but it was too late. That famous Greywords one-track mind had kicked in.

The battle had begun.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


End file.
